Steam-engine.



W. M. WILKIN.

I STEAM ENGINE,

APPLICATION FILED lULY 7| l9l6.

L mfiwu Patented. 1m. 6, 191?.

T ET tmEQ.

WILLIAM M. WILMN, 01E ERIE, PENNSYLVANIQ srnnnnnein'n.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5 rare Application filed July 7, 1916. Serial No. 108,058.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. WILKIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Erie, in the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-En gines; and I dohereby declare the follow-' ing to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to steam engines of the type known asunidirectional flow, in

which thesteam continuously travels from the intake ports to exhaustport in the intermediate portion of the cylinder which are controlled bythe operation of twin pistons.

In engines of this type, only a small portion of the steam, in weight,passes out of the central exhaust ports, when the engine is notconnected with a condenser, and provision must be made for the escape ofthe residue of steam remaining in the cylinder after the central exhaustports have been closed by the return movement of the piston. The objectof this invention is, therefore, to provide valve mechanism in thepiston to permit of the escape therethrough of steam during a portion ofthe backward movement of the piston, and counterbalancing mechanism tocontrol the inertia of such valves, which will be actuated by thestopping of the pistons at the ends of their forward and .backwardstrokes; also to provide a valve with suflicient steam cushion to renderits operation noiseless.

The features of my invention are hereinafter set forth and pointed out,and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a longitudinal central section of an engine cylindershowing my invention embodied therein.

' Fig. 2, is a transverse section thereof on the line 00-00, in Fig. 1,looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 3, is an enlarged view partially in elevation and partially insection of a portion' of my invention. v

In these drawings A, indicates an engine cylinder having the usualsteam; inlet ports A, and A at the ends thereof, controlled by wall ofthe cylinder is cut away, the lower portion of said groove B,communicating with the exhaust B, of the engine. 0, indicateslongitudinal grooves in the interior wall of the cylinder A, at eachside of the annular groove B. I) and D, indicate twin pistons within thecylinder A, so spaced and secured upon the piston-rod F, that when thepistons are in the position shown in Fig. 1, the piston D, will haveuncovered one end of the groove C, through which the working steam, or aportion thereof, which forced the pistons into that position, may escapeinto the annular groove B, the space between the pistons, and thenceinto the exhaust B.

Pistons D and D, are each provided with one or more valve-openings d andd, which are provided with valve-seats (Z and within thesevalve-openings I place valves F and F, which are connected by means of arod ff, of such length that when the valve F, is closed, the valve F,will be open, as shown in Figs, 1 and 3. The valves F, and F,

consist of a valve portion f and a hollow cylindrical guide portion fhaving port openings fg through the wall thereof spaced from the base ofthe valve'portion P, so that there will be 'a short cylindrical spacebetween the ports ft, and the base of the valve portion 7, which willcut 0d the escape of steam through the ports 7, prior to the seating ofthe valve portion f upon the valve seats 07, thereby leaving asteamfilled space between the valve and its seat, to act as a cushion toprevent pound ing of the valves upon their seats. The steam cushionbetween the valve 7, and the valve seat (Z is prevented from freelyescaping therefrom around the periphery of the valve, as the valve movestoward its seat, by means of the constantly increasing compressionbetween the moving piston and the cylinder head, which packs the spacevacated by the closing valve, so that there is no space left to receivethe steam which flows from between the valve and its seat. The slightdifierence between the area of the valve opening and the area of theannular opening between peripheries of the valve 7, and its seat 0Zbeing suflicient to force the valve down upon its seat, which operationalso aids in increasing the comlltl vided with a notch or recess 72,,which is adapted to receive the flanges GG, thereinto; and to the upperend of the lever H, is secured a counter weight H, of sufficient gravityto counterbalance the momentum of tha valves F and F, and theirconnecting r0 In these drawings I have shown a block J,

through which a pivot pin J, passes, and having an opening boredtherethrough for the piston rod E, to pass, which opening cuts into saidpivot pin J, as shown in Fig. 2. This block J, with the pivot pin J, isthen placed upon the piston rod E, the piston-rod thus retaining the pinJ, in the block J. Upon each end of the pin J, I place a lever H, thelower ends of which are provided with recesses h, as above stated, whichengage the collars G, and between the upper ends of the lever H, Isecure a weight H, by means of rivets or bolts h, which hold the leversH H, from spreading, and thus retaining them in place upon the pivot pinj. The block J, is preferably provided with collars j which are providedwith set screws 7', to prevent the block J, from moving upon the pistonrod E; I also place upon the pisston rod E, between each piston and thecollars j, of the block J, sleeves K, which insure the block J, fromlongitudinal movement on the piston rod E.

In operation, when the pistons D and D, travel toward the end of thecylinder adjacent to the piston D, and begin to slacken their movementprior to coming to the end of their travel in that direction, thecounter weight H, will continue in that direction and through the leverH, cause the valve F, to close, and the valve F, to open; the ports 7,in the valve F, being closed prior to the valve portion 7 engaging thevalve seat 03 in the piston D, thus leaving a film of steam between thevalve and its seat to be forced out against the pressure of the steam bythe action of the counter weight H.

During this forward movement of the pistons D and D, the residue ofsteam, remaining in the cylinder after the uncovering of the exhaustgrooves C, by the piston D, escapes through the open valve F, and owingto the progressive decrease of the longitudinal motion of the pistons,as they approach the terminii of their reciprocations, the

provided with a flange counter Weight H, being free fromthe control of.the engine crank is actuated by its own momentum, and operates to closethe valve F, before the piston D, has reachedcthe end of its forwardtravel, thus insuring sufiiclent compression. This operation is repeatedat each forward andbackward movement of the pistons.

Having thus fully shown. and described the construction and operation ofmy invention so that others may utilize the same, what I claim as newand desire to'secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. I11 a steam engine, a cylinder having inlet ports at the ends andexhaust ports at the intermediate portion thereof, a piston-rod, twinpistons having valve openings therethrough secured on said rod inspaced. rela-v tion to each other adapted to control said exhaust ports,connected valves in said openings adapted to alternately seat againstouter sides of said pistons and counterweight controlled mechanismsupported between said pistons, to counterbalance the inertia of saidconnected valves, substantially as set forth.

' 2. In a steam engine, the combination of an engine cylinder having asteam inlet port at one end of its piston stroke and exhaust ports atthe other end of its piston stroke, a piston therein adapted to controlsaid exaust ports, a non-return valve in said piston seated against thesteam side thereof, and counterweight controlled mechanism traveling inunison with said piston adapted to counterbalance the inertia of saidvalve, substantially as set forth.

3. In a steam engine, the combination of an engine cylinder having asteam inlet port at one end of its piston stroke and exhaust ports atthe oppositeend of its piston stroke, a piston therein adapted tocontrol said exhaust ports, a non-return valve in said piston seatedagainst the steam side thereof, a valve-stem thereon, a piston-rodconnected to said piston, a lever supported on said piston-rod, one endthereof connected to said valve-stem, and av counterweight secured tothe opposite end thereof, substantially as set forth. 3 a

4. In a steam engine, the combination of an engine cylinder having asteam inlet port at one end of its piston stroke and exhaust ports atthe opposite end of its piston stroke, a piston therein adapted tocontrollsaid exhaust ports, a non-return valve, in said piston seatedagainst the steam side thereof, a valve-stem, a piston-rod secured tosaid piston, a block secured upon said piston-rod, a lever pivoted uponsaid block having one end thereof engaging said valve-stem, and acounterweight secured to the opposite-end of said lever, substantiallyas set forth.

5. In a steam engine, the combination of an engine cylinder having inletports at one end of"its piston stroke and exhaust ports at the oppositeend thereof, a piston in said cylinder adapted to control said steamexhaust ports, a valve opening in said piston having a valve-seat on thesteam side thereof, a valve adapted to seat on said valveseat, acylindrical projection on said valve adapted to close said valve openingprior to the seating of said valve, and mechanism traveling with saidpiston adapted to coun- 10 terbalance the inertia of said valve,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LIAM M. LKIN.

